Various types of sheet product dispensers are known in the art, including mechanical and automated dispensers configured to allow a user to obtain a length of sheet product from a roll of sheet product supported by the dispenser. Sheet product dispensers generally are configured to dispense a particular type of sheet product, such as paper towels, bath tissue, wipers, or napkins. Additionally, sheet product dispensers often are configured for use in a certain environment, such as a home, commercial, or industrial environment, taking into account the operating conditions and expected frequency of use.
According to certain configurations, sheet product dispensers may be relatively simple mechanical devices including a roll support configured to rotatably support the roll for dispensing sheet product therefrom. During use of such dispensers, the user may grasp a “tail” portion (i.e., an exposed free end portion) of the roll and apply a pull force thereto sufficient to rotate the roll about the roll support and unwind a length of sheet product from the roll. The user may separate the unwound length of sheet product from the roll by tearing the sheet product at a desired point, as may be facilitated by a tear bar of the dispenser or a predefined area of weakness, such as a line of perforations, defined in the sheet product.
In certain industrial environments, simple mechanical sheet product dispensers are common due to a high frequency of use and harsh operating conditions that deter the use of dispensers designed for home or commercial environments. For example, in the food processing industry, workers may use dispensers consisting of little more than a roll support, such as a spindle, for rotatably supporting a roll of sheet product, such as paper towels, and a means for attaching the roll support to a wall or other surface adjacent a workspace. Such simple dispensers have several shortcomings. First, they offer no protection for the roll of sheet product during daily operations or periodic wash-downs of the workspaces. Accordingly, the roll may be contaminated by food during use of the workspaces and may be saturated with a cleaning solution during wash-downs, requiring disposal of at least a portion of the roll and resulting in considerable waste of sheet product. Second, such dispensers do not provide controlled dispensing of the sheet product or prevent “over-spin” of the roll. In particular, the dispensers may allow “free-wheeling” of the roll as it rotates about the roll support during dispensing, causing a user to remove more sheet product than necessary and resulting in additional waste and user frustration. Third, such dispensers lack a means for facilitating separation of a length of sheet product from the roll. Accordingly, user interaction with the roll may be cumbersome, requiring the use of two hands to remove the length of sheet product and resulting in wasted time and user frustration.
There is thus a desire for improved sheet product dispensers and related methods for dispensing sheet product in certain industrial environments, such as food processing facilities. Such dispensers should address one or more of the shortcomings noted above while also being able to withstand the requisite high frequency of use and harsh operating conditions associated with the industrial environments.